Ebola survivors at the Kingtom cemetery offering prayers
By Mabinty M Kamara
Dozens of men and women who contracted the Ebola virus and recovered from it, yesterday marked the second anniversary of the outbreak in Sierra Leone, with some weeping openly.
Under the aegis of the Sierra Leone Association of Ebola Survivors (SLAES) they visited the two cemeteries where hundreds of those killed by the virus were laid to rest.
Executive and ordinary members of the association visited the Kingtom and Waterloo cemeteries to pay respect to and offer prayers for those who lost their lives to the disease.
During the solemn occasion some survivors burst into tears as they prayed for their loved ones. They also prayed collectively for all those who lost their lives. Each survivor later visited the graves of their individual relatives, chanting silently as tears ran down their cheeks.
Hawa Sam, an Ebola widow told Politico she lost five members of her family among them her husband and her son both of whom succumbed in September 2014.
“I cannot find my late husband’s grave even though I have seen my son’s” she said in-between sobs.
She also lost her sister who died in Kenema where she had been taken to the Ebola treatment centre for treatment, and was buried there. Looking emotional, she said however that she did not want to visit the cemetery.
“Coming here reawakens all the sad moments that I experienced during the outbreak, something I have been trying to put behind me” she said. She suddenly stopped and pointed to a grave, saying: "that is the grave of my poor child”. She broke down, again.
Hawa called on the Sierra Leone government and other people concerned to support Ebola survivors especially in accessing medical services as there are a lot of post-Ebola health complications.
“Ebola survivors are suffering in Sierra Leone [and] if the government has the chance, we can tour with them to see at first hand our suffering,” she lamented.
“Like for me, I was having problems with my eyes but I thank God it’s getting better. But I still experience severe headache and joint pains. And there are other survivors whose cases are more complicated than mine because I know survivors who have gone blind while some of the men have become impotent,” Hawa said.
Daddy Hassan Kamara, the survivors’ public relations officer describe 25 May as “a day of sorrow, a day to mourn and a day to commemorate the death of our brothers and sister and to reflect on the country’s experience with the deadly Ebola virus”.
He consoled his fellow survivors especially the women to take heart and forget about their sorrows. “Women can easily take things to mind so they need to be encouraged and cared for so that they don’t get discouraged about life after Ebola,” he pleaded.
Abdul Kamara, another survivor called on people to support Ebola orphans, widows and other vulnerable survivors through any means they could afford to help.
“There are Ebola orphans who have stopped going to school because of the lack of support, and widows are also suffering because the breadwinners have gone and their surviving children have toed the line of suffering too,” he said. He went on that if people did not have anything to offer them they should be careful not to hurt them or tell them any disparaging words that would further discourage them and worsen their plight.
Philip F Koroma, the SLAES National Organising Secretary told Politico that eight of his relatives contracted Ebola, four of whom died.
He added that as survivors they were going through a lot including their livelihood and medical care which he referred to as “a big challenge”.
“We want the government and those concerned to prioritise our health issue. I am not talking about a free health service delivery where they give you one Paracetamol when you go to the hospital; I am talking about a consistent and reliable health care service,” he said.
He called on government to “concentrate on us so that we don’t add up to the number of people who have died of the virus,” he said.
Yusuf Kabba, National President of SLAE told Politico that they were commemorating the day not just to remember the tragedy that befell Sierra Leone, but the entire West Africa subregion.
“We are also doing this to pray for our brothers and sisters who were unfortunate in the Ebola fight, and to remind ourselves of our responsibility to care for the orphans, widows and widowers who they left behind, as well as to maintain the infection and disease control”.
He said the more the commemorated the day, the more people would become aware that such a virus had once wreaked havoc with the tendency to return.
He called for sustainable livelihood for survivors, building their capacity, fully integrating them and awarding scholarship opportunities for Ebola orphans and those survivors of school-going age.
“We have had several unfulfilled promises from the government”, he said, adding: “If survivors are left to suffer, like the ministry of health is completely ignoring us, what would be the bigger picture we will present to the future generation”.
Kabba called on government to be nationally observing the day. “I am not saying that it should be a public holiday but let it be observed through thanksgiving and prayers,” he clarified..
Ebola was first confirmed on 25 May 2014 and lasted for almost 18 months, officially killing over 4,000 people.
The outbreak was first declared ended by the WHO on the 17January 2016. Sierra Leoneans all over the world celebrated that declaration but not so long after, the virus resurfaced causing bewilderment. Early this year it was again declared ended after the country had gone for 42 days without an Ebola patient.
The issue of survivors and their livelihood has never gone away, prompting them to stage street protests over “unfulfilled promises that are not forth coming from the government”.
Relatives of health workers who succumbed to the virus have also not received $5,000 promised each family.
(C) Politico 26/05/16
